Over the years I have made it my mission to cover the wide range of artists housed within Millworks’ three levels. With school starting back in a matter of weeks, I felt mid-August was the perfect time to cover a special group of creatives. Falling in line for roll call finds 10 eclectic elocutionists who speak the language of art with precise articulation and verve. Art class is now in session.
I had the good fortune of catching up with two fresh faces at Millworks during the most recent 3rd in The Burg event. If one were to combine the finely delicate art of Georgia O’Keefe “Flowers” series, done with a modern-day flourish, you may be admiring Marjorie Taylor’s studies of the same subject matter in Studio 214. Nature serves as a major source of inspiration as she quotes Einstein, “Look deep into Nature and you will understand everything better.” Acrylics and oils on linen panels provide the impetus for her poetic paintings. Breathtaking, “Madagascar Comet Moth,” is enhanced by the addition of gold-leaf while her “Pansy” study speaks to O’Keefe’s most famous works.
Madagascar Comet Moth by Marjorie Taylor
Stained glass by Carrie Shusta
Carrie Shusta of Millworks 322 likes to pick up the pieces as in the stained glass she creates working her magic like a kaleidoscope rotated to perfection, where creativity meets assemblage. Borrowing from “old school inspiration like the Arts and Craft Movement of the ‘60s (like the 1860s).” Carrie bends the rules and pushes the natural boundaries of stained glass to its edge employing the Tiffany Method of “copper foiling.” Shusta is fascinated by the possibilities of what can be within the medium.
Art of the Earth in Studio 102 finds Kate Gambini, a potter with a predilection for surface decoration, adapting her style to build hand slabs or work at the wheel. It is in the combination of textural technique and illustration that make her works stand apart. Rachelle Lowe, a ceramic sculptor, shares the studio in tandem with Kate, finding a common ground in ceramics. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her resume draws on atypical crafting works of art, bridging her love as an entomologist with the fine art of sculpting. Her creations embody an abiding love of nature, specifically her fascination with insects. This passion started as a child, developing into an artistically successful pursuit. Fine Art by Angela Lapioli is for all lovers of nature. Her paintings breathe and live in a portal between this world and the next. Her work has been featured in the atrium of WITF. Angela is a graduate of Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia and has already left her mark as an illustrator, graphic designer and art director. If you appreciate dreamy renderings of the natural world, her paintings may gently awaken you in Studio 214.
April Henbest’s outpost, number 216, is reminiscent of a modern-day “Little House on the Prairie” general store, in that it showcases T-shirts, linens for the home, fanciful cards, all displayed on eye-catching hooks and stands as part of her Tiny Homestead Studio. Breezy and light, its charm lies in its simplicity. Pat Frese of Studio 216 is an enamellist of the highest order, sharing space with fellow compatriot, Averill Shepps. Inspired by the world around her, Pat marries finely ground glass to metal in a kiln at high temperatures. Her work has been featured at the Enamellist Society Exhibition in 2022.
Jessica Cavey of Circe, Studio 213, creates one-of-a-kind pieces as a fiber artist and herbalist. Her “brand” name stems from Greek mythology, referring to a woman of knowledge and power who is rarely recognized for those attributes. Ms. Cavey is ready to change that thinking. Her work is artistically refined in clothing and accessories. Jennifer Skerpon is a unique jeweler who offers permanent adornments in high carat gold, sterling silver and gold-filled, all with links that are welded closed in lieu of a clasp. Found in Studio 212, Jennifer is ecologically conscious, working with only recycled precious metals. In addition, the lapidary elements employed are “in the rough” from ethical sources, then cut, shaped, and polished by the artist. A rare artisan, Jennifer creates jewelry that speaks to the soul, attracting clients of similar tastes.
Charcoal study by Richard Lopez-Hernandez
Perhaps the newest addition to the fray is Richard L. Hernandez (RLO), planting his flag firmly in Studio 215. Specializing in charcoal studies as his medium gives him the latitude to operate in two worlds simultaneously, moving between “shadow and substance,” finding the gray areas not defined by light or dark, comfortable in twilight’s tantalizing thrills. Subjects swirl in surreal seductions, only to segue toward artistic abstraction. RLO deftly demonstrates divergent dreams as the curtain comes down on the drama that unfolds before our eyes.
Over the years, Millworks has turned out a stalwart class of “graduates” that include Amie Bantz, Meg Caruso, Lauren Castillo, Kelly McGee Curran, Mary Gelenser, Jason Lyons and Joan McGuire, just to name a few, as well as Stash Collective. These artists cut their teeth at Millworks before moving on to solo and group enterprises. Half of the early adaptors who believed in the power of art at Millworks have remained steadfast, continuing to thrive under its art director, Tara Chickey. Tara rotates the artists through an annual calendar, with each one contributing to a major show twice a year featured in the downstairs lobby. She shared “that the process brings out the very best in all of them.” I would be remiss not to tip my hat to the original 16 (of 33) led by Tara with her husband, Caleb Byron Smith. They are an art power couple. Apparently, art and marriage go hand in hand, judging by the creative duos of Richard and Marsha Souders, Joelle and Justin Arawjo of Fennec Design, and Robert McCloskey and Linda Benton McCloskey. Independents from the very start include Ann Benton Yeager, John Davis, Yachiyo Beck, Paul Vasiliades, Judy Kelly, Tina Berrier, Julie Iaria and Tami Bitner.
Millworks studio boards (photo: Tara Chickey)
All the above are noted, as well as other current Millwork’s artists I have covered over the past five years that are still roosting in Millworks loft. Beyond the art itself, there is an underlying sense of community connected by more than paintings, photographs and pottery. The thread of continuity speaks to camaraderie where artists share and support, critique and commiserate, all done with a bond of unbreakable bonhomie. Even the “graduates” share a wistfulness about their days at 340 Verbeke.
I could write about the group of artists I’ve covered over the years at Millworks in nine chapters up until today. Pamela Black, Elaine Elledge, Rebecca Adey of Mod Sew, Paul and Alexander Zemaitis of Moonrise Candle, P.D. Murray, Paul Gallo, Phil Wells, Reina R76 Wooden, Kristen Fava of Rexmake, Zack Rudy and Garrick Dorsett of The Hucklebuckle Boys, all have made for great copy as well as those “originals,” the sweet 16. For the moment, time and space does not allow that luxury, and it appears I am now up to date for the fall semester. The artists’ “in/out boards” near the entrance provide up-to-date info as to who is in each studio. With all due respect and reverence for the legacy of modern-day composer, the late Stephen Sondheim, I borrowed a few words from his classic, “Send in the Clowns.” Me paraphrasing Sondheim’s words, (no need to) “send in the artists…they’re already here.”
August Special Events
3rd in the Burg: LGBT Center of Central PA presents “A Home of Our Own” (soft launch) at their new headquarters, 1323 N. Front St., 5 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 19, Sprocket Mural Works & Parliament Arts Organization present York Mural Fest, Royal Square Arts District, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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